Your own secret garden

As you emerge from the southern exit of Clapham Common tube station, Metro is facing you - which is presumably how the place came by its name.

Over the last couple of years the charming 'secret' garden has become such a widely known secret that the proprietors finally bit the bullet and changed the name to include it.

As you'd expect of any establishment thoughtful enough to provide blankets for the dogs of Sunday brunchers lingering over the newspapers in the secluded garden, the Metro Garden Restaurant has become something of a neighbourhood favourite.

The food is interesting, but mercifully wholehearted.

Start with sautéed lambs' livers, sage and thyme polenta, caramelised baby onions, balsamic reduction, or pan-roast scallops, butterbean and sage purée and crisp pancetta.

Or perhaps the deep-fried salt and pepper squid on wilted greens appeals? Main courses include enough brave combinations of taste and texture for the adventurous diner, and the kitchen casts the net widely for inspiration - rare tuna fillet may come with a lemon thyme and pink peppercorn crust, plus rocket and Parmesan mash; or a Moroccan-style merguez stew may be teamed with apricot couscous; or roast duck breast with pak choi, juniper and honey jus.

Puds are mainstream: ginger and caramel cheesecake with candied orange; coffee panacotta with mint pesto; lemon tart with raspberry coulis; the renowned and over-indulgent chocolate nemesis - the chocoholic's dish of choice.

The service is slick but friendly, the wine list sound rather than adventurous.

Metro
Clapham Common South Side, London, SW4 7AA